Gaming machines that provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations that are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming machine may allow the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. The player may make this wager a single time or multiple times in a single play of a primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may allow the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Slot games with 1, 3, 5, 9, 15 and 25 lines are widely commercially available. Thus, it is known that a gaming machine, such as a slot game, may allow players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from one credit up to 125 credits (e.g., five credits on each of 25 separate paylines). This is also true for other wagering games, such as video draw poker, where players can wager one or more credits on each hand and where multiple hands can be played simultaneously. Different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary bonus game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machines generally indicates this to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, video screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be). In other words, obtaining a bonus award is part of the enjoyment and excitement for players.
Progressive awards associated with gaming machines are also known. A progressive award is an award amount which includes an initial amount funded by a casino and an additional amount funded through a portion of each wager made on the progressive gaming machine. For example, 1% to 5% of each wager placed on the primary game of the gaming machine associated with the progressive award may be allocated to the progressive award or progressive award fund. The progressive award grows in value as more players play the gaming machine and thus portions of these players' wagers are allocated to the progressive award. When a player obtains a winning symbol or symbol combination which results in the progressive award, the accumulated progressive award is provided to the player. After the progressive award is provided to the player, the amount of the next progressive award is reset to the initial value and a portion of each subsequent wager on a gaming machine associated with the progressive is allocated to the next progressive award as described above.
A progressive award may be associated with a single gaming machine or multiple gaming machines which each contribute portions of the progressive award. The multiple gaming machines may be in the same bank of machines, in the same casino or gaming establishment (usually through a local area network (“LAN”)) or in two or more different casinos or gaming establishments (usually through a wide area network (“WAN”)). Such progressive awards are sometimes called local area progressives (“LAP”) and wide area progressives (“WAP”), respectively.
Progressive awards generally increment through communication between a progressive controller and one or more gaming machines. The gaming machines associated with the progressive award transfer coin-in information to the progressive controller. From this information, the progressive controller calculates how much to increment the progressive award based on a set increment rate and then increments the progressive award accordingly.
Certain known gaming machines provide the player a choice between different wager levels prior to the commencement of a primary game. The different wager levels enable the player to win different progressive awards.
However, known gaming machines do not enable a player to select which progressive award to play for, such as after the triggering event, because there is no known reliable manner in which the progressive payouts can be mathematically controlled. Enabling a player to select which of a plurality of different progressive awards to play for adds uncertainty to the game.
This uncertainty stems in part from how to account for players with different skill levels and different strategies, how to guarantee an average payback percentage, and how to properly fund a bonus game, an award attempt or other secondary game having such player selectable progressive awards. For instance, optimal play of a first progressive award attempt may cost a first amount, while sub-optimal play may cost a second different amount. This uncertainty causes a mathematical challenge that has yet to be solved by known gaming machines. Other mathematical challenges due to this uncertainty may include players winning too many multiple progressive awards or players repeatedly attempting to play for the top or highest level progressive award which may not always be the optimal play.
There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide awards to players including bonus awards and progressive awards. There is also a continuing need to provide new and different linked or related gaming machines.